Honeywell Aerospace has opened a T55 Repair and Overhaul Center of Excellence near its Phoenix headquarters to bring its MRO activities next to the engineering and production of the turboshaft engine.
“Our global Center of Excellence for the T55 engine allows us to grow our throughput to be two to three times our previous capacity to better support the U.S. Army and CH-47 Chinook helicopter fleets worldwide,” said Honeywell president of engines and power systems Dave Marinick. “Our organization is always focused on improving our support for today's warfighters, and we are proud to roll out this transition as part of that commitment to the U.S. Army.”
The move creates a larger pool of Honeywell technicians skilled in the T55 to improve repair and overhaul turn times, according to Honeywell. Also, having technicians on-site with engineers will enhance troubleshooting and provide better feedback for future upgrades, the company added.
Along with the new MRO center, Honeywell has launched a supplier improvement initiative for on-time delivery of T55 materials as well as to support the expanded capacity. Honeywell has produced more than 6,000 T55s that have logged about 12 million hours of operation over nearly 60 years.